The Epic of Gilgamesh
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The Epic of Gilgamesh apart from being a brotherhood story about the friendship they shared and the quest towards immortality, its a representation of the early societies and the evolution of Mesopotamia.
Enkidu’s life represents the paleolithic era who underwent transformation when he met Gilgamesh and the Harlot where he then went through loss of innocence into the neolithic era. Enkidu shared a way that was lived during the paleolithic era. Simple way of living, no domination over a species. His relation to the wild animals he shared his life with is a visual representation of the style of living during the old stone age. There was no competition over each other and where they shared peace and tranquility.
In contrast, Gilgamesh who represented the New Stone Age was given the characteristics of a more aggressive, powerful, god-like figure, which reflects on the beliefs people had during the neolithic era because of the start of social classes including the belief that some people were like gods and thus considered superior. Gilgamesh was fearless and he conquered, just as the rulings of all the empires in Mesopotamia during the ages. Enkidu realizes that by following and acting Gilgamesh’s footsteps he is condemned and he curses the Harlot who introduced him to civilization because he wishes to go back to his old ways, which makes sense because what was being done to him was unfair just like the way of living including social classes is unfair and he wished to go back to his formal way of living which was the paleolithic era which was fair.
Consequently, both Gilgamesh and Enkidu were in need of each other. Gilgamesh was hurt in losing his friend because Enkidu was in part what Gilgamesh was missing. Both Gilgamesh and Enkidu served each other as a balance and after Enkidu died it was as if a part of Gilgamesh was incomplete. He then started to become more like Enkidu including his actions and the way he dressed. His quest to the mountains was
The Epic of Gilgamesh apart from being a brotherhood story about the friendship they shared and the quest towards immortality, its a representation of the early societies and the evolution of Mesopotamia.
Enkidu’s life represents the paleolithic era who underwent transformation when he met Gilgamesh and the Harlot where he then went through loss of innocence into the neolithic era. Enkidu shared a way that was lived during the paleolithic era. Simple way of living, no domination over a species. His relation to the wild animals he shared his life with is a visual representation of the style of living during the old stone age. There was no competition over each other and where they shared peace and tranquility.
In contrast, Gilgamesh who represented the New Stone Age was given the characteristics of a more aggressive, powerful, god-like figure, which reflects on the beliefs people had during the neolithic era because of the start of social classes including the belief that some people were like gods and thus considered superior. Gilgamesh was fearless and he conquered, just as the rulings of all the empires in Mesopotamia during the ages. Enkidu realizes that by following and acting Gilgamesh’s footsteps he is condemned and he curses the Harlot who introduced him to civilization because he wishes to go back to his old ways, which makes sense because what was being done to him was unfair just like the way of living including social classes is unfair and he wished to go back to his formal way of living which was the paleolithic era which was fair.
Consequently, both Gilgamesh and Enkidu were in need of each other. Gilgamesh was hurt in losing his friend because Enkidu was in part what Gilgamesh was missing. Both Gilgamesh and Enkidu served each other as a balance and after Enkidu died it was as if a part of Gilgamesh was incomplete. He then started to become more like Enkidu including his actions and the way he dressed. His quest to the mountains was